Stuart wrote:Former Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King died Wednesday. He was 68.
The rocker played guitar for Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 to 1975 and from 1987 to 1996. He co-wrote one of the band’s classic songs “Sweet Home Alabama.”
He was also a member of Strawberry Alarm Clock, according to the Tennessean.
King joined the band in 1972 when he replaced Leon Wilkeson on bass. He decided to leave the band in 1975 during the group’s Torture Tour.
Steve Gaines replaced King in 1976. Gaines, his sister Cassie and leader singer Ronnie Van Zant were among the band members who were killed in a plane crash in 1977.
King rejoined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987, but was forced to leave the band again in 1996 due to congestive heart failure, according to Food Republic.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 along with all the pre-crash members of the band.
That's crazy because I was just reading about Skynyrd yesterday, but I was focused on Allen Collins instead of King.
It might surprise some of you to learn that Ronnie Van Zant and Neil Young were actually friends and that Sweet Home Alabama is in no way a rebuke of Young personally or an embracement of George Wallace or Richard Nixon.
EDIT: Modified the comment to say it wasn't a personal rebuke of Young, but still taking issue with what he sang in Southern Man. Young later admitted he was out of line.
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The beat goes on. Now famous Broadway playwright (Marvin) Neil Simon passed early this morning at 91. He was famous for creating more than 30 plays. Two of the them 'Barefoot In The Park,' and 'The Odd Couple' were also TV series on ABC. Simon also won a Tony Award.
